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Wilmington weather in numbers
measured normals and 10 years of recorded weather
Wilmington swings 47°F across the year, from 86°F highs in July to 39°F lows in January, and September is usually the wettest month in a year that brings about 57 in of precipitation. Over 10 years of recorded weather it averages 163 days a year at 77°F or above, 50 of them at 86°F or above, 14 frost nights, and rain on 140 days.
Warmest month
July
86°F average high
Coldest month
January
39°F average low
Wettest month
September
57 in a year
Comfortable
4 months
March, April, May and October
Residents
116,000
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Most accurate here
European
95/100 CheckWeather Score
Warm days
163 days
a year at 77°F or above
Frost nights
14 nights
a year below 32°F
Rain days
140 days
a year with 0.04 in or more
Day counts are from the ERA5 reanalysis for Wilmington’s grid square, 2016 to 2025, counted the same way for every city so the numbers compare. A reanalysis square is an area, not a weather station, so it is good for counting days and not for a single day’s record.
The weather map: all three models at once
NWS, American, European side by side around Wilmington and nearby towns.Live rain radar →
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Wilmington hourly forecast: next 14 hours
consensus of the three models
Rain in the next 24 hours, model by model
each model's own hourly precipitation, side by side
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Wilmington 10-day forecast, out to 14 days
where the models agree, and where they split
Today
Mostly clear
72°55°
models agree
Tomorrow
Partly cloudy
73°56°
models agree
Mon
Clear
72°52°
models agree
Tue
Clear
73°48°
models agree
Wed
Cloudy
72°53°
models agree
Thu
Cloudy
74°56°
±4°
Fri
Clear
76°53°
models agree
Sat
Cloudy
76°56°
models agree
Sun
Drizzle
74°56°
±5°
Mon
Light drizzle
73°59°
±15°
Tue
Light rain
70°58°
±4°
Wed
Cloudy
68°53°
±6°
Thu
Cloudy
73°52°
models agree
Wilmington, North Carolina (NC) is at its warmest in Jul (average highs near 86°F) and coldest in Jan (lows around 39°F), with roughly 57 in of precipitation across the year. Below, compare what NWS, American, European forecast for Wilmington right now, and see exactly where they disagree.
average daytime high and overnight low across a typical year (1991-2020)
Jan
56°
39°
Feb
59°
42°
Mar
64°
46°
Apr
71°
54°
May
77°
62°
Jun
83°
68°
Jul
86°
73°
Aug
84°
70°
Sep
81°
67°
Oct
74°
56°
Nov
64°
48°
Dec
59°
42°
Source: 1991-2020 averages, ERA5 for this place adjusted with NASA POWER.
How Wilmington's weather has changed since 1995
30 years of daily data, 1995-2024, shown as change
+1.1°F
Around Wilmington, 2015-2024 averaged 1.1°F warmer than 1995-2004. 5 of the 10 warmest years since 1995 fall in the last ten, and the warmest was 2023.
1995each stripe is one year2024
cooler than averagearound averagewarmer than average
Days above 86°F
19 more days a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004
Frost nights
2 fewer nights a year
2015-2024 against 1995-2004, below 32°F. Within the normal year-to-year swing
Average wind
−5%
2015-2024 against 1995-2004
Bars: each year against the area's 30-year average. Dashed lines: the average of the first and the last ten years.
See the numbers year by year
Year
Temp vs average
Days >86°F vs avg
Frost nights vs avg
Wind vs avg
1995
−1.1°F
−18
+6
+1%
1996
−1.6°F
−23
+7
+6%
1997
−0.9°F
+0
−5
+4%
1998
+1.1°F
+4
−6
+1%
1999
±0.0°F
−9
−1
+6%
2000
−1.6°F
−9
+12
+4%
2001
+0.5°F
−20
−4
+1%
2002
+1.1°F
+9
−5
+1%
2003
−0.7°F
−38
−1
+1%
2004
−0.7°F
−10
+6
+1%
2005
−0.2°F
−3
−0
+4%
2006
±0.0°F
+2
−6
−2%
2007
+1.2°F
+29
−5
+1%
2008
±0.0°F
+9
−0
+4%
2009
−0.6°F
−11
+5
−2%
2010
−1.6°F
+33
+21
+1%
2011
+0.7°F
+26
−6
+4%
2012
+0.9°F
−6
−7
−2%
2013
−1.3°F
−38
−3
−2%
2014
−1.6°F
−11
+5
−2%
2015
+0.7°F
+15
+11
−2%
2016
±0.0°F
+15
+2
−2%
2017
+0.7°F
−5
−0
−2%
2018
±0.0°F
−6
+9
+1%
2019
+1.2°F
+25
−6
−5%
2020
+0.9°F
−4
−7
−2%
2021
±0.0°F
−2
−7
−5%
2022
+0.7°F
+20
+3
−2%
2023
+1.4°F
+15
−8
−5%
2024
+1.1°F
+5
−4
−2%
Source: NASA POWER daily data from the MERRA-2 reanalysis, 1995-2024. Each value describes a grid square of about 50 km around Wilmington, not a weather station, and a square that takes in sea or a large lake runs milder than the city itself. That is why this section shows change against the square's own 30-year average rather than counts you could compare with a local station. Rain and snow are left out because their long-term record in this dataset is not consistent over time. "Within the normal year-to-year swing" means the change is smaller than the usual differences between single years.
Which forecast is most accurate in Wilmington?
CheckWeather Score, graded against the weather that actually happened
Provider
CheckWeather-score
Temp
Wind
Rain
Run by
European ★ Best
95
/100rank #1
93±0.7°F
97±1.0 mph
9597% hit
ECMWF - European Centre for Medium-Range Weather ForecastsReading, United Kingdom
American
86
/100rank #2
83±1.7°F
96±1.3 mph
8290% hit
NOAA / NCEP (United States)College Park, Maryland, USA
The accuracy above is the measured record. This is your opinion: which forecast service do you trust most in United States? Give each 1 to 5 stars.
NWSNational Blend (NBM)
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Where the models disagree
temperature and rain, judged separately
Day
Temperature
Rain
Today
±1°72° to 72°
±2%0% to 2% chance
Tomorrow
±1°72° to 73°
±1%0% to 1% chance
Mon
±1°72° to 72°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Tue
±2°73° to 75°
models agree0% to 0% chance
Wed
±3°70° to 73°
models agree2% to 2% chance
The models often agree on temperature and still split on rain, and rain is usually what decides whether a plan survives. A wide rain range means the shower is genuinely uncertain, not that the forecast is wrong.
Sunrise and sunset in Wilmington
today, local time
Sunrise
07:24
Sunset
18:26
Daylight
11h 2m
Common questions
What's the weather in Wilmington today?
Saturday, October 24: NWS, the American and the European model agree on a high near 72° in Wilmington today. Tomorrow: partly cloudy, around 73°, with a 1% chance of rain. The forecast on this page refreshes live.
Will it rain in Wilmington today or tomorrow?
Rain looks unlikely in Wilmington on Sunday, October 25: no model gives more than 1% (NWS 1%, American 1%, European 0%). On Saturday, October 24 the highest chance of rain from any model is 2%. The hourly strip and the model-by-model rain panel above update live.
Which forecast is most accurate for Wilmington?
Over the last 30 days, the European model has been the most accurate for Wilmington (CheckWeather Score 95/100), ahead of the American at 86. We grade every model against the recorded weather. See the US accuracy scoreboard for the full method.
What is the warmest month in Wilmington?
July is typically the warmest month in Wilmington, with average highs around 86°F.
How cold does Wilmington get?
The coldest month in Wilmington is January, when overnight lows average about 39°F.
How much rain does Wilmington get?
Wilmington sees roughly 57 in of precipitation a year, with September usually the wettest month.
Is Wilmington getting warmer?
Yes. In NASA's reanalysis for the area around Wilmington, 2015-2024 averaged 1.1°F warmer than 1995-2004.